Motorcycle Tour - Southern Vietnam

This trip takes you to the Central Highlands, the mountains of South Vietnam. We ride on narrow paths through the jungle here. Thereafter we ride along the coast for one day and take the boat to the Mekong Delta.

The second part of the journey begins in the Mekong Delta and you find yourself immediately in another Vietnam. The Mekong Delta is largely made up of  the distributaries of the Mekong River. Life here takes place mainly on or near the water. We take dozens of ferries of all shapes and sizes, drive over perhaps a hundred bridges and mainly follow narrow paths through small villages and paddy fields.

If you liked North Vietnam, you will find this fantastic too.

This trip can be combined with the North Vietnam Highlights (10 days) beforehand and the Vietnam North - South (16 days)

Routing Mekong Delta | Vietnam

Day 1: Departure

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City – Cat Tien

You will be picked up at Ho Chi Minh airport by a local contact person who will bring you to the hotel in the center of the city. In the hotel you will meet the tour guide. During lunch or dinner the tour guide will tell more about the details of the trip.

Day 3: Ho-Chi-Minh-City - Cat Tien

After picking up the motorbikes, we ride out of town at the busiest moment of the day. In the beginning the roads are totally crowded with small motorbikes and scooters. To ride through this chaotic traffic is an adventure in itself. On the outskirts of the city it is getting busier with trucks. We will follow the main road until lunch. Immediately after lunch we leave the main road and follow a network of narrow roads and paths along the border with the Cat Tien National Park. We take two small local ferries and follow some rather difficult off-road tracks before arriving at our destination.

Nationalpark Cat Tien | Vietnam

Day 4: Cat Tien - Phan Thiet

This is the only real mountain leg of the trip. After a taking another small ferry, we ride into the mountainous region of the Central Highlands. There are wonderful views over the lake created by a dam. In this mountainous area, one comes across a number of different peoples and even some Hmong people from the north. However,today is mostly all about the magnificent views. At the end of the day we descend to the coast and stay overnight in Phan Thiet.

Day 5: Phan Thiet – Vung Tau

From Phan Thiet to the coastal town of Lagi we more or less follow the coast line. Just before our coffee stop in Lagi we take some challenging small dirt roads. After the coffee stop until lunch we follow the scenic coastal route. You notice that the beautiful coast of Vietnam has been discovered by mainly domestic investors. The number of beach resorts is growing very fast. We try to arrive on time in the port city of Vung Tau, so that you still have time to go to the beach. Vung Tau is the oil capital of the country. Since after the Vietnam war mostly Russian companies have been active here. This city is a real port city, with many cafes, restaurants and, evidently, night clubs.

River crossing | Vietnam

Day 6: Vung Tau - Ben Tre

In the morning we take the boat to the Mekong Delta. The motorcycles are ridden on board via a narrow ramp and we sit in the back of the boat. The crossing is two and a half hours long. On arrival one notices instantly that one has arrived in another part of the country. This is the Mekong Delta. The land is flat and everything revolves around the water. We ride almost immediately onto the narrow trails through the paddy fields, crossing over the distributaries of the Mekong River by several small ferries. We arrive eventually, via narrow paths, in the town of Ben Tre. It is a lively town with a bustling night market near our hotel.

Day 7:  Ben Tre - Long Xuyen

We start the day again immediately with narrow roads along the river. The support vehicle cannot follow most of the time. We stop in the city of Vinh Long for lunch. Before this, however, we need to take a number of ferries. In the afternoon we follow narrow paths once again, through rice fields and small villages. These paths are usually surfaced but some are unsurfaced and difficult to tackle when it has rained. We also cross over dozens of small bridges. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in the larger town of Long Xuyen. At first sight, there does not seem much to do here. As one gets closer to the river, however, the importance of it becomes apparent.

On narrow paths | Vietnam

Day 8: Long Xuyen - Chau Doc

After breakfast we take the ferry to one of the many islands in the mekong river. Here we follow a narrow path to the next ferry and continue our way along the little tracks. After the third ferry we will visit a local brick factory. We take another ferry and stop for a coffee break at the local market. After the coffe break we follow a beautiful dirt road along a canal. In case we still have time after arrival in Chau Doc, we can take a boat trip to the colourfull floating villages nearby.

Day 9: Chau Doc - Ho-Chi-Minh-City

After a couple of large ferries, we take another a scenic route along narrow paths. Here too there are countless bridges to cross and we are always greeted by friendly people, who are very surprised to see us. It is totally enjoyable to ride your bike through this beautifull countryside.  After lunch we come to the larger road back to Ho Chi Minh City. Just before the city another challenge begins...the busy traffic. Through the chaos, we reach our hotel in the center of town.

brick factory | Vietnam

Day 10: Ho-Chi-Minh-City - Departure

You will be taken to the airport for your flight back home.

Extension:

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh - Day Trip Cu Chi / Tay Ninh

Today you will visit the Củ Chi tunnels by minibus with a local English-speaking guide. You cannot help but be impressed by the ingenuity of the corridor system and the way in which people lived here. Next we drive on towards the Cambodian border to visit the main temple of the Cau Dai faith. One can take part in a ceremony here. Cau Dai is related to Buddhism but has Christian elements as well. This faith is widespread in the south of Vietnam and one comes across Cau Dai temples in the Mekong Delta too. The main temple is in Tay Ninh where a large Cau Dai complex is located.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City

This is an extra day in Ho Chi Minh City; there is still much to see here. You will, of course, visit the War Crimes Museum for a different look at all the wars which have ravaged Vietnam. You will visit the Reunification Palace too where the South officially surrendered to the North in 1975. The Ben Than market is also one of the places not to be missed.

Ho-Chi-Minh City | Vietnam

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City – Departure

You will be taken to the airport for your flight back home.